‘$5 Insanity': What You Should Know About Flakka
‘$5 Insanity': What You Should Know About Flakka
May 21, 2015 -- Some call it “$5 Insanity.”
Flakka, a new designer drug, is surging in popularity. Poison control centers in states including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas are responding to an increasing number of incidents involving it.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is flakka?
It’s a man-made stimulant called an alphaPVP. It’s similar to “bath salts,” another dangerous drug that’s grabbed headlines in recent years.
Its off-white, coarse crystals sell for as little as $5 a hit. The name comes from la flaca, a Spanish club-slang term for a sexy, skinny girl.
“It looks like aquarium gravel,” says Alfred Aleguas, PharmD, managing director of the Florida Poison Information Center, Tampa.
How is it used?
People have tried taking it in a number of ways, says Jeffrey Bernstein, MD, medical director of the Florida Poison Information Center, Miami.
Those ways include:
“With injecting, you’re really asking for trouble, because the drug is likely to be cut with … dirt, with talc, who knows what else -- and you’re putting all that in your veins,” Bernstein says.
How does it work on the brain?
Users feel a sense of euphoria, Bernstein says. “It plays with your neurotransmitters, [brain chemicals] like dopamine and serotonin.”
That can lead to a state called excited or agitated delirium in a high that lasts for several hours.
What are the risks?
People who are high on flakka often lose touch with reality, Aleguas says.
“They don’t know what they’re doing, they’re hallucinating, they’re paranoid, they’re aggressive, they’re super-agitated,” he says. “That’s why you see news stories of people running down the street naked, banging on cars in traffic and just crazy, crazy stuff.”
Other health effects that Aleguas and Bernstein often see include:
Another dangerous effect is hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature, which Bernstein says can reach 108 degrees. At that temperature, he says, blood can no longer clot and a person starts to bleed internally.
‘$5 Insanity’: What You Should Know About Flakka
May 21, 2015 -- Some call it “$5 Insanity.”
Flakka, a new designer drug, is surging in popularity. Poison control centers in states including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas are responding to an increasing number of incidents involving it.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is flakka?
It’s a man-made stimulant called an alphaPVP. It’s similar to “bath salts,” another dangerous drug that’s grabbed headlines in recent years.
Its off-white, coarse crystals sell for as little as $5 a hit. The name comes from la flaca, a Spanish club-slang term for a sexy, skinny girl.
“It looks like aquarium gravel,” says Alfred Aleguas, PharmD, managing director of the Florida Poison Information Center, Tampa.
How is it used?
People have tried taking it in a number of ways, says Jeffrey Bernstein, MD, medical director of the Florida Poison Information Center, Miami.
Those ways include:
- Snorting
- Mixing with food
- Drinking like a tea
- Pressing into pill form
- Inserting it into the rectum
- Vaping in an e-cigarette
- Injecting
“With injecting, you’re really asking for trouble, because the drug is likely to be cut with … dirt, with talc, who knows what else -- and you’re putting all that in your veins,” Bernstein says.
How does it work on the brain?
Users feel a sense of euphoria, Bernstein says. “It plays with your neurotransmitters, [brain chemicals] like dopamine and serotonin.”
That can lead to a state called excited or agitated delirium in a high that lasts for several hours.
What are the risks?
People who are high on flakka often lose touch with reality, Aleguas says.
“They don’t know what they’re doing, they’re hallucinating, they’re paranoid, they’re aggressive, they’re super-agitated,” he says. “That’s why you see news stories of people running down the street naked, banging on cars in traffic and just crazy, crazy stuff.”
Other health effects that Aleguas and Bernstein often see include:
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Higher blood pressure
- Seizures
Another dangerous effect is hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature, which Bernstein says can reach 108 degrees. At that temperature, he says, blood can no longer clot and a person starts to bleed internally.
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